Oregon State to hold largest commencement ceremony in school history

Oregon State University will hold its largest-ever commencement ceremony today at 1 p.m. at Reser Stadium, in Corvallis, Ore.

A record 4,365 students will receive degrees, according to the Registrar's office. This includes 3,608 bachelor's degrees and 684 master's degrees. Two-hundred and ninety-four Ph.D.s and professional degrees will also be awarded. The Liberal Arts college will graduate the most students, with 470 degrees.

The 139th commencement ceremony will also recognize 23 former Oregon State students with honorary bachelor's degrees.

The former students are among the 42 students forced to leave the university after President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which sent many of them to internment camps. Many of the former students, all of Japanese ancestry, have died, but many will be represented by family members when they receive their honorary degrees from OSU President Ed Ray.

Helen Diggs, the director of the Office of Laboratory Animal Care at the University of California at Berkeley, is the commencement speaker. The 1985 alumna, who is also the vice president of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, will also receive an honorary doctorate degree from the university.